Title
Staff Report for Resolution Approving the City of San Leandro Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) for the FY 2015-2016 Annual Action Plan
Staffreport
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff recommends that the City Council hold a public hearing and then adopt the resolution approving the FY 2015-2016 CAPER and authorizing the execution of all related documents by the City Manager and submission of the CAPER to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The CAPER has been available for public comment since September 1, 2016. Upon adoption by the City Council, the CAPER will be combined with the Alameda County HOME Consortium’s reports (for the County and each Consortium member city) and submitted to HUD.
BACKGROUND
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires each jurisdiction that receives Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME funds to prepare a Five-Year Consolidated Plan, an annual Action Plan, and an annual Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER). The CAPER reports on all activities that took place during the fiscal year to assess the City’s overall progress in accomplishing the annual Action Plan and the Five-Year Consolidated Plan objectives. The FY 2015-2016 CAPER reports on the activities and projects described in the FY 2015-2016 Action Plan, the first year of the City’s FY 2015-2019 HUD Consolidated Plan, and conducted during the period of July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016.
Analysis
Similar to the last two fiscal years, this year’s CAPER document was prepared using HUD’s required online format and includes an assessment of the progress toward achieving the five-year goals and objectives, an evaluation of annual performance, and a financial summary. Various HUD reports are included that provide information on the number of people served with each project and by categories such as race and income. Below is a summary of some of the City’s notable activities and outcomes described in the FY 2015-2016 CAPER that highlights the City’s accomplishments in the first completed year of its FY 2015-2019 HUD Consolidated Plan.
Objective: Provide Decent Housing
Priority: Preserve existing affordable rental and ownership housing for low- and moderate-income households.
Housing Rehabilitation Program
In FY 2015-2016, the City continued to contract with Neighborhood Solutions to administer the City's Housing Rehabilitation Program which is designed to make homes safe and healthy for homeowners. A total of 9 housing rehabilitation grants (7 minor home repair and 2 mobile home repair) were provided. Of these 9 grants, 5 were for extremely low-income (30% AMI) homeowners, 3 were for very low-income (50% AMI) homeowners, and 1 was for a low-income (60% AMI) homeowner. Five of the grants were for seniors.
The housing rehabilitation program provided a wide range of improvements to the 9 income-eligible homeowners including porch replacement, sewer replacement, water heater replacement, new countertops, new flooring, backyard clean-up and new topsoil, roof replacement, exterior paint, new hot water heater, new gas range and range hood, electrical repair, plumbing repair of leak, American with Disability Act (ADA) toilets and grab bars, mobile home leveling and new mobile home skirting.
Objective: Create Suitable Living Environment
Priority: Reduce housing discrimination.
Eden Council for Hope and Opportunity Housing (ECHO Housing)
The City continued to contract with ECHO Housing, a regional non-profit fair housing agency, to provide fair housing services. ECHO Housing received 15 fair housing inquiries involving 24 clients, in which ECHO Housing provided information, counseling, and/or investigation in fair housing inquiries or allegations of housing discrimination. ECHO Housing also educated people about fair housing laws, rights, and responsibilities by conducting one Fair Housing workshop for the East Bay Rental Housing Association (EBRHA), 2 training sessions for 27 individuals, and 6 presentations to 79 members of the public.
Priority: Support public services
Child Abuse Listening, Interviewing, and Coordination Center (CALICO)
CALICO's San Leandro Child Abuse Intervention Project provides family support services to improve mental health outcomes for San Leandro toddlers, children, adolescents, and adults living with developmental disabilities who have suffered physical or sexual abuse or neglect, and for the caregivers of those victims. During FY 2015-2016, CALICO served 44 San Leandro families comprised of 88 total persons (44 unduplicated caregivers and 44 unduplicated victims).
SOS/Meals on Wheels
SOS/Meals on Wheels' Meal Delivery Service program provides uncurtailed delivery of warm, nutritious, and balanced meals to homebound seniors who are over 60 years of age and are unable to purchase or prepare food for themselves. In FY 2015-2016, 160 homebound seniors were served with hot and nutritious meals and provided daily health and safety check-ins by meal delivery drivers.
Spectrum Community Services (Spectrum)
Spectrum's Senior Nutrition & Activity Program (SNAP) is a senior lunch program that provides healthy, nutritious meals to low-income San Leandro seniors at the San Leandro Senior Community Center and Fargo Senior Apartments five days week. In FY 2015-2016, Spectrum provided 8,336 meals to 3,494 seniors of whom 448 seniors reported to be San Leandro residents.
Table 1 - Table of assistance to racial and ethnic populations by source of funds
Racial and Ethnic composition of families assisted:
CDBG
White 5,522
Black or African American 1,312
Asian 1,643
American Indian or American Native 63
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 129
Total 8,669
Hispanic 3,334
Not Hispanic 5,335
Total 8,669
Resources and Investments:
Source Funds*
CDBG $506,397
*Actual Amount Expended in Program Year 2015 as of June 30, 2016.
Narrative
The City also appropriated local General Funds to the following programs in FY 2015-2016. These programs assist the City in addressing the affordable housing, homelessness, and community development needs of the City, as identified in the City's current HUD-approved FY 2015-2019 Five-Year Consolidated Plan.
$11,000 to Davis Street Family Resource Center to provide affordable housing services to City residents.
$25,000 to ECHO Housing to provide San Leandrans with rental housing counseling, which includes resolving tenant-landlord issues, and assisting in the administration of the City's Rent Review Program.
$35,000 to Bay Area Homebuyer Agency (BAHBA) to administer and monitor the City's First-Time Homebuyer Program.
$150,000 (City Community Investment Program) to non-profit agencies providing social support services to San Leandrans.
Additionally, the City has a current balance of $104,583 in its Affordable Housing Trust Fund and approximately $1.3 million in loan repayments from Redevelopment Housing Set-Aside loans from first-time homebuyer loan borrowers, owner-occupied housing rehabilitation loan borrowers and affordable rental housing development projects. These funds are earmarked for future City affordable housing development projects, programs and/or services.
Affordable Housing
Objective: Provide Decent Housing
Priority: Increase the availability of affordable rental housing for extremely low-, very low-, low-, and moderate-income families.
New construction of affordable housing
Marea Alta (formerly Cornerstone at San Leandro Crossings)
BRIDGE Housing leveraged $650,000 in federal HOME program loan to construct Marea Alta Phase 1, a 115-unit affordable rental housing project that is currently under construction. The project, which is primarily funded through low income housing tax credit equity, is projected to be completed by late 2016. BRIDGE Housing received nearly 10,500 pre-applications for the 115 units, of which 1,500 households have been randomly chosen to be assessed for eligibility to move into Marea Alta.
Objective: Create Suitable Living Environment
Priority: Maintain and improve the current capacity of the housing and shelter system, expanding transitional and permanent supportive housing, and providing services to homeless individuals and families, including integrated health care system, employment services, and other supportive services.
Building Futures with Women and Children (BFWC) - San Leandro Shelter
The City funded BFWC with City General Funds to provide supportive services to homeless families at its emergency shelter, known as the San Leandro Shelter. In FY 2015-2016, BFWC provided emergency shelter and supportive services, which included 11,043 bednights, of which 1,695 bednights were supported by the City, and 33,129 meals for 176 San Leandro homeless women (115) and children (61) in crisis. All 115 women received access to health care and group sessions which help to advance essential skills, such as employment strategies, money management, housing strategies, parenting skills, and other basic life skills. Of the 176 women and children assisted, 48 exited to permanent housing.
Davis Street Family Resource Center (DSFRC)
The City funded DSFRC with CDBG public services funds to provide supportive services to homeless persons. DSFRC provided an array of basic services to 179 homeless persons. Homeless persons received various services, including three days’ worth of groceries up to twice a month, emergency clothing, and household items. DSFRC Family Advocates/Intake Specialists also provided these clients with information and referral to DSFRC's other programs that include free acute medical and dental care, childcare, employment counseling, housing assistance, and case management services.
Objective: Create Suitable Living Environment
Priority: Support public services.
Davis Street Family Resource Center (Davis Street) - Affordable Housing Services
In FY 2015-2016, the City provided City General Funds to Davis Street to assist individuals seeking housing search assistance, specifically being placed into permanent housing. During the fiscal year, Davis Street served 565 clients, of which 13 households were placed into permanent housing throughout the City; 5 clients were assisted with security deposits, 3 clients were assisted with past due rent, and 7 clients received emergency hotel vouchers. Davis Street also provided 487 homeless or at risk of becoming homeless individuals with information on local services to help them with their housing search.
Priority: Maintain and expand activities designed to prevent those currently housed from becoming homeless.
Housing Rehabilitation Program
Under the City's Housing Rehabilitation Program, extremely low- and very low-income homeowners, particularly seniors, have their homes improved in order to remain permanently housed. The following grants are available to income-eligible homeowners: Minor Home Repair, Mobile Home Repair, Accessibility, Exterior Clean-Up, Exterior Paint, and Seismic Strengthening. Of the 9 grants awarded, 5 were provided to very low income seniors this past fiscal year.
Rental Housing Counseling
Using City General Funds, the City contracted with ECHO Housing for Rental Housing Counseling services to help keep people in their housing. Information and referral services were provided to 619 landlords and tenants. In FY 2015-2016, ECHO Housing handled 78 cases related to eviction and succeeded in preventing 10 households from being evicted. Staff also assisted with 17 landlord-tenant inquiries related to repairs, 13 cases regarding security deposits, 99 instances involving rent increases, 7 occurrences of unlawful entry by the landlord, and 5 cases involving retaliation by the landlord. There were also 75 miscellaneous inquiries (e.g., information on rental contracts and unlawful detainers, providing general information on tenant and landlord rights with referrals to attorneys, eviction defense, small claims court, and mediation services). ECHO Housing staff assisted 62 households with conciliation/mediation services including successfully conciliating 12 rent increases cases and the aforementioned 10 eviction cases that were successfully conciliated as well. Lastly, staff referred 18 households to attorneys/small claims court and 57 households to other appropriate agencies.
Additionally, the City provided City General Funds to ECHO Housing to assist staff in administering the City's Rent Review Program, which provides a non-binding arbitration board review of eligible rent increase cases in San Leandro. ECHO Housing and City staff addressed 93 tenant and 38 landlord inquiries relating to the City's policies on rent increases and its Rent Review Program, including 107 renters who applied for Rent Review Board hearings.
Of these 107 hearing requests:
• 14, or 13% of, cases were ineligible for a rent review hearing;
• 3, or 3% of, cases required landlords to properly re-notice their tenants as required by the ordinance;
• 5, or 5% of, cases were scheduled for a hearing after June 30, 2016;
• 18, or 17% of, cases were settled without a hearing;
• 27, or 25% of, cases were settled prior to a scheduled hearing; and
• 40, or 37% of, cases were heard by the Rent Review Board. Of the 40 cases heard by the Rent Review Board:
o 27, or 68% of, cases were settled mutually settled;
o 12, or 30% of, cases were settled after the rent review hearings; and
o 1, or 2% of, required the landlord to property re-notice his tenant as required by law.
Furthermore, the City amended its Rent Review Ordinance to address escalating rents in San Leandro. These amendments (which included modifications to the program eligibility thresholds, bilingual noticing, clearer penalty for non-responsive landlords) crafted to make the Rent Review Program more efficient and more effective, took effect on March 17, 2016.
Current Agency Policies
Current Council Policy is defined by the FY 2015-2019 Consolidated Plan, which included the FY 2015-2016 Annual Action Plan, adopted by Resolution No. 2015-080 on April 20, 2015. This FY 2015-2016 CAPER covers the first year of the FY 2015-2019 Consolidated Plan cycle.
Previous Actions
The Action Plan containing the programs and activities carried out during FY 2015-2016 was approved, concurrently with the City’s FY 2015-2019 HUD Consolidated Plan, by the City Council on April 20, 2015.
Applicable General Plan Policies
The Housing Element of the General Plan addresses increasing the supply of affordable ownership and rental housing in San Leandro in Goal 53 - Affordable Housing Development of the Housing Element of the General Plan. Additionally, Goals 47 to 51 of the General Plan address the provision of community services and facilities in coordination with non-profit and other social services providers. Such services range from library and childcare services to youth and senior services.
Environmental Review
No environmental review is required for this annual report.
Summary of Public Outreach Efforts
A notice of the public hearing was published in The Daily Review on August 26, 2016. The CAPER was available at City Hall, the Main Library, and on the City's website for public comment from September 1st through September 15th, 2016. Letters were sent on August 24, 2016, to the City’s “CDBG’s Mailing List” which includes CDBG service providers, homeowner associations, and community-based organizations.
Fiscal Impacts
None
ATTACHMENT
Attachment to Resolution
Draft FY 2015-2016 CAPER
PREPARED BY: Steve Hernandez, Housing Specialist II, Community Development Department